


The Proper Companion

by hardboiledbaby



Category: Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms, Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle
Genre: Canon Related, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-04
Updated: 2012-02-04
Packaged: 2017-10-30 14:12:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/332608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hardboiledbaby/pseuds/hardboiledbaby
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What happened after Phelps left. A 221-not-B ficlet, based on the canon story <i>The Naval Treaty</i>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Proper Companion

**Author's Note:**

> Beta'd by the wonderfully talented Verlaine; any remaining wonkiness is my own.

Bolstered with joy and fortified with brandy, Phelps departed immediately for Lord Holdhurst's chambers in a hansom. I cannot say I was unhappy to see him leave.

"You enjoyed your evening, I trust?" Holmes asked as I unwrapped the binding on his hand. He watched me through half-lowered lids as I tended to his bloodied knuckles.

"No more than you did," I said, somewhat irritably. "My vigil was no less weary than yours."

"Ah, I see. Forgive me, Watson. I needed you to stay with Phelps, lest he took it into his head to return to Briarbrae prematurely. I knew I could rely on you to follow my instructions to the letter. However, I did not consider your feelings on the matter. Your own hearth and home were waiting for you."

I was struck by a sudden pang of guilt. In my efforts to keep Phelps calm and distracted, then my absorption over Holmes and the case, I had, until that moment, completely forgotten about my wife.

"Hours spent in the company of the wrong person can be worse than days spent alone. The proper companion makes all the difference, eh?" A slight, almost wistful smile quirked his lips.

I looked down at his freshly-bandaged hand, held fast in my own.

"Absolutely, Holmes. It makes all the difference in the world."


End file.
